Stitchless fastening means for garment supporting clasps



Nov. 1941. DEMlNG 2,261,112

STITCHLESS FASTENING MEANS FOR GARMENT SUPPORTING CLASPS Filed April 19, 1940 Patented Nov. 4, 1941 STITCHLESS FASTENING MEANS FOR GAR- MENT SUPPORTING CLASPS Frederick G. Deming, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to I-Iickok Manufacturing Company,

Inc.,

Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 19, 1940, Serial No. 330,622

1 Claim.

The improved stitchless fastening device comprising the present invention is primarily adapted for use in securing the free ends of elastic garment supporting straps to the usual clamping buckles or clasps by means of which the effective length of the straps are varied. The invention, however, is capable of other uses and the improved fastening device may be utilized in securing either the free ends or the medial regions of garment supporting or other straps, whether the same be elastic or inelastic, to all manner of buckles, clasps, retaining or holding devices and the like.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a fastening device for the free ends of flexible garment supporting strapsby means of which these ends may be permanently secured to a clasp, buckle or other retaining member without resorting to the use of stitching or other methods of fastening wherein the strap is doubled upon itself to provide a loop through which a portion of the clasp extends. In such instances, especially where sliding clasps of the type employing a pivoted backing plate and toothed lever are concerned, the additional thickness afforded by the doubled material of the loop frequently consumes so much space that it is difficult to swing the pivoted backing plate over its dead center position to the locking position thereof. In addition to this, where the loop is stitched together, there is always the possibility of the stitching becoming unraveled and the contingency of fraying of the threads of the free ends of the strap must be reckoned with. The improvements of the present invention obviate the above-noted limitations that are attendant upon the use of present-day fastening devices, causing the backing plate to operate freely and also preventing fraying of the free ends of the strap. Another object is to provide a novel method of attaching the free end of a length of webbing of the type employed in connection with garment supporters to the operating lever of an adjustable clasp or other form of fastening device, whereby the end is permanently held in position against dislodgment and is prevented from fraying.

Further objects and advantages of the invention are the provision of a stitchless fastening device of the character set forth above which is extremely simple in its construction; one which will permanently and properly hold the strap to which it is applied in position without danger of injuring the person of the wearer or the material of which the strap is made; and one which is rugged, durable and dependable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention not at this time enumerated will become apparent hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the improved fastening device applied to a conventional type of clasp, the clasp being shown in its partially open position and associated with a garment supporting strap.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the disclosure of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view similar to Figure 2 showing the clasp closed.

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the clasp shown in Figure 1 and showing a strap end secured thereto and thereby.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a blank from which one element of the clasp is formed.

Figure 6 is a plan View of the element which is formed from the blank of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the element shown in Figure 5.

In all of the above-described views, like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts throughout.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, for illustrative purposes, the invention has been shown and will be described in connection with an adjustable supporting strap I II consisting of a length of elastic webbing which may be utilized as a shoulder strap in a pair of Suspenders, as a support for a garter buckle, or put to a similar use. The strap I0 is slidable in a slot I2 existing between the inner surface of a backing of face' plate I 4 and a pivoted clamping lever I6, the latter being formed with oppositely extending ears or trunnions I8 which extend into openings 20 formed in a pair of side flanges 22 provided on the backing plate I4. The lever I6 is formed with a short arm 24 having retaining teeth 26 thereon and a long arm 28 by means of which the lever is operated.

The length of webbing I0 passes downwardly through the slot I2 and is looped as at 30, carrying at its lower end a conventional supporting device, as, for example, a suspender unit, a portion of which is shown at 32. The free end of the length Ill is secured to the outer end of the long arm 28 of the lever I6. The arrangement of parts thus far described is purely conventional and no claim is made herein to any novelty associated therewith, the novelty of this invention residing rather in the manner in which the free end of the length of webbing l is permanently secured to the outer end of the long arm 28.

Referring now to Figures 5, 6 and 7, the lever I6 is formed from a blank B as shown in Figure 5, the blank being stamped from sheet metal and being provided with the teeth 26 and trunnions I8. The blank B is formed with an elongated slot or opening 34 at one end thereof, through which the free end of the length of webbing IU is inserted in the assembly operation. After the webbing has been inserted in the opening 34, the blank is bent or reversed upon itself along the lines indicated at a, a, and the metal of the blank which exists below the opening 34 is anged over onto the material of the webbing to firmly compress and clamp the webbing against the inner side of the body portion of the blank as shown in Figure 4. The blank B may previously or subsequently be bent substantially at right angles along the line indicated at b to produce the short arm 24 and the long arm 28 shown in Figures 6 and 7. The narrow transverse slot 34 forms a straight narrow transverse clamping bar at one end of the sheet metal member formed by the blank B. The transverse slot also forms narrow lateral spaced side portions connecting the ends of the clamping bar with the body portion of said member. The slot which is of a length less than the width of the webbing I0 constricts the same and pinches the edge portions of the webbing inwardly and cooperates with the clamping bar in securely holding the webbing at the extreme end thereof so that only a flat single thickness of the webbing occurs between the clamping bar and the body portion of the member as clearly illustrated in Fig. of the drawing. The upper portion of the blank is provided with a series of longitudinal slits c to render the teeth 26 exible. However, this feature forms no part of the present invention but is included merely for illustrative purposes.

In order to prevent the free end of the elastic webbing I0 from becoming frayed in use, this end may, if desired, be impregnated with a suitable bonding material, as, for example, a lacquer-like material, a compound having a rubber base such as latex, or a solution of a resinous material which may subsequently be polymerized by the application of heat and pressure. Irrespective, however. of these details in the manufacture of the webbing, the essential features of the invention are not altered.

While the invention has been described in connection with a lever element of a conventional sliding clasp for elastic webbing, it is obvious that the same is applicable to other uses and may be employed wherever it is desired to secure one end of a metal clasp or element to the free end, or even to the medial regions, of a strip of exible webbing. y

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of the parts shown in the accompanying drawing or described in the specification, as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. Only insofar as the invention has been particularly pointed out in the accompanying claim is the same to be limited.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a strap end fastener for buckles and the like, comprising a sheet metal member provided adjacent one end with a narrow transverse slot forming a straight narrow transverse clamping bar at said end of the member and also forming narrow laterally spaced side portions connecting the ends of the clamping bar with the body portion of said member, said narrow connecting portion being bent into approximately U- shape and thereby positioning the clamping bar contiguous to the body portion of said member, and a strip of webbing extending inwardly through said slot, said slot being of less length than the width of the webbing and the latter being constricted transversely by the U-shaped connecting portions and clamped between the body portion of said member and the clamping bar at FREDERICK G. DEIVHNG. 

